Razor with adjustable handle



June 7, 1938. w. T. PARKIN 2,119,792

RAZOR WITH ADJUSTABLE HANDLE Filed June 1, 1935 y in IIIIIIIIIIIIIIL v. xw

Patented June 7, l-QS` UNITED STATES RAZOR WITH ADJUSTABLE HANDLE Winfred T. Parkin, Providence, R. I., assgnoi' to Theodore W. Foster & Bro. Co., Providence,

R. I., a corporation of Maine n Application June 1`, 1935, serial No. 24,506

1 Claim.

This invention relates to an improved safety razor construction and particularly to improved arrangements for firmly connecting handles to blade holders in different angular positions to suit the preferences and requirements of individual users.

The conventional type of safety razor comprises a handle with a blade holder connected thereto', the holder commonly being disposed perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the handle or at a slight angle thereto. Usually when double edged blades are employed the holder and blade may be disposed in a general plane which is at right angles to the direction of extent of the handle, while when a single edged blade is employed the blade is often disposed at an acute angle to the handle.

The present invention particularly permits the secure adjustment of the holder relative to the holder in any one of a plurality of selected positions. Thus in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the invention, the parts may be adjustable so that the blade may be located in a plane substantially at right angles to the handle or so that the blade may be disposed in an angular position inclined at either side `oi such a plane. Thus a construction may be provided which is particularly convenient when-a double edged blade is to be employed and when the user of the razor prefers to have the blade angularly disposed.

To permit these desirable results I may provide connections between the handle and the holder which have intertting portions either positively or resiliently locking the holder in a selected angular position relative to the handle. Thus, in accordance with one embodiment of the invention, a screw-threaded tting may be provided so that the handle may be slightly loosened to permit a swinging of the holder relative thereto. The handle may then be moved to a position where it engages suitable .grooves or the like which are provided on an extension of the holder, thus positively locking the holder in place relative to the handle when the screw-threaded connection is tightened. In accordance with another embodiment of this invention, hinge means may be arranged between the handle and holder, said means having portions which normally are held in resilient intertting engagement so that accidental movement of the holder relative to the handle is prevented but so that a strong pull upon these parts may cause their relative movement.

In the accompanying drawing Fig. 1 is anjend elevation of arrazor constructed in accordance with this invention, portions of the handle being broken away and shown in section;

Fig. 2 is an Aenlarged detail View of a part of the connection provided between the handle and holder;y Y

Fig. 3 is a View corresponding to Fig. l, but showing an optional embodiment of the invention;

Fig. y4.- is a rear elevation of a portion of the assembly shown inFig.- 3;

Fig. 5 is an elevational detail of a portion of the hinge shownin Figs. 3 and 4; and

Fig. 6 is an enlarged section indicated by line 6 6 of Fig. 3. A

In the accompanyingdrawing which illustrates typical embodiments of this invention,-the handle which may be of conventional form is designated by numeral I, only the upper part of this handle being shown in Fig. 1. The handle may be associated with any suitable type of blade holder designated in general by numeral 2 an-d, for example, comprising a support 3 having guard portions or edges 4,' a retainer 5 and a blade 6.' The particular form of razor disclosed herein is similar to that shown in my copending application Serial No. 24,504, led on even date herewith, now Pat. No. 2,089,414, and provided with a driving roller 'I to cause a reciprocatory movement of the blade. However, thel principles of this invention are generally applicable to razors of the general shape and form shown herein and the details of construction of the blade holder do not form a part of the present invention.

In accordance with this invention, the blade holder may be provided with a bifurcated balllike extension I between the similar portions of which an annular element I2 (Fig. 2) is received, the element I2 being pivotally connected to the member I0 by a pintle pin I4. The surfacev of the member I2 may .also have a slighttransverse curvature so that the entire assembly affords a substantially ball-like surface. Depending from the member I2 is an externally threaded stud I which may be received in an internally threaded recess at the upper end of the handle I.

Formed in the spherical surfaces of the memberl I0 are a plurality of arcuate grooves corresponding to circular regions Where the tubular end Il of the handle engages the spherical member IIJ again engages a suitable pair of grooves.

end of the handle and particularly the corner of the metal upon the inside of this annular end, which tends to bite into the metal of the balllike portions I B. A second pair of arcuate grooves I6n may be disposed substantially in concentric relation to a line extending perpendicular to the body portion of support 3, so that when the handle engages this part of the assembly it is disposed at right angles to the general plane of the blade. A third pair of grooves |61 may be disposed in a plane angularly disposed relative to the support 3, but inclined so that, when the end of the handle engages; the grooves Iib, the relative angular position of the holder of the handle is similar to that shown in Fig. 1, but the opposite edge of the blade may be conveniently disposed for shaving. The member I2 may also be provided with a pair of arcuate grooves 26 similar in cross section to the grooves Ia, I6b and I6C and capable of being moved into alignment with any of these pairs of grooves to cooperate therewith in deiining a complete annular recess to receive the end of the handle.

It is evident that each of the grooves I6, Ia and IBb are provided by cutting away the metal of the member I0 so that as viewed in cross section a recess is provided having sides substantially at right angles to each other, each arcuate recess thus accurately tting the end of the handle. In other words, the recesses I6, I6a and II;b each have a shape or form substantially like that which might be imposed, if the end of the handle were pressed into a ball of plastic material having the shape and size of the bifurcated member IU. y

Obviously, when the user of a razor of this type desires to change the angular positioning of the holder and handle, the handle I is unscrewed slightly relative to the stud I5, bringing the end of the `handle out of engagement with the corresponding pair of annular grooves I6, IISa or I6b Yand the grooves 26. Thereupon the handle is swung so that another pair of arcuate grooves registers with the grooves 2G, whereupon the handle is rotated until the screw-threaded connection is tightened and the end of the handle It is evident that the arrangement illustrated in Figs. 1 vand 2 particularly permits a sturdy dependable adjustment between the handle and holder of a razor employing a double edged blade, so that the holder may be disposed in the normal position perpendicular to the handle or at an angular position inclined at either side of the handle, as preferred, thus facilitating shaving with either edge of the blade without necessitating removal of the blade from the holder.

The embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figs. 3 to 6 may be provided with any suitable holder, such as the holder 2 previously described, and may have similar parts which are designated by similar reference numerals. The holder, however, is provided with a depending hinge portion consisting of bifurcated part providing resilient ears which have pivotal connections provided by a pintle pin 42 with resilient ears 43 upon the end of the handle Ia. The members 40 may be provided with a plurality of grooves radiating from the openings through which the pintle pin 42 extends, while the ears 43 may be provided with corresponding radially disposed corrugations or ribs 46, similarly disposed relative to the openings in these members. As shown in Figs. 3 and 5, for example, the ears 40 may have five grooves 45, while the ears 43 may have three ribs 46. The pintle rivet 42 holds the corresponding ears in engagement so that the flutes and corresponding grooves normally intert with each other, but so that the parts change in the relative angular position when rmly pulled relative to each other. Thus the handle may be located perpendicular to the holder with the three ribs engaging the three central grooves, or at an angular position at either side of the perpendicular so that the ribs engage the three grooves at either end of the set of iive grooves 45. It is thus evident that this embodiment of the invention also permits adustmentof a razor handle and blade holder in the general manner described with referencerto the embodiment illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2.

I claim;

A safety razor comprising a blade holder having an extension in the form of a bifurcated spherical member, a handle having a tubular end portion which is internally threaded, an element pivotally connected to the bifurcated member and having a threaded extension normally in engagement with the tubular end of the handle, said element having arcuate grooves to be engaged by the Vtubular end of the handle, said bifurcated member having a plurality of pairs of grooves to be moved into alignment with the grooves of said element so that the screwthreaded connection between the stud and handle may be tightened to bring the tubular end of the handle into locking engagement with one of said pairs of arcuate grooves and into engagement with the grooves of said element.

WINFRED T. PARKIN. 

